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Your first drag strip?

Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 7:50 pm
by Wheelzman
Mine was Magnolia Drag Strip located just outside of Magnolia, OH. You will notice in the picture that they only run 1/8 mile now but waaayyyy over in the right side you will see the strip continues and when they ran 1/4 mile if you didn't get her woowed down you went into the swamp. Oh yeah there was a pothole about 100 ft past the finish line that would shake the fillings out of your teeth if you didn't swerve to avoid it. I ran about 118 MPH in a 55 Chevy with a water pipe roll bar and a kitchen chair bolted to the floor. Somebody was looking over me that's for sure.

http://www.bigalslist.com/pictures/neig ... gnolia.htm

Re: Your first drag strip?

Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:57 pm
by draglist
Wow, that's great! Mine was Thompson Drag Raceway in Ohio (or Dragway 42 in Ohio -- can't remember exactly!)

Both had a covered starting line a la Indy in the old days... had a lot of fun out there. bp

Re: Your first drag strip?

Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 10:23 pm
by pro70z28
Humbolt County Dragway, Humbolt IA. They have a website, so I have to assume it's still in operation. 1/8 Mile.

Re: Your first drag strip?

Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 12:40 pm
by Wheelzman
Wow, that's great! Mine was Thompson Drag Raceway in Ohio (or Dragway 42 in Ohio -- can't remember exactly!)

Both had a covered starting line a la Indy in the old days... had a lot of fun out there. bp
bp you need to go to 42's website and see what they are doing. Wow! They tore the whole track out including the buildings and pits and moved the track back and twisted it so it has more length for shut down area. A new tower with suites and over track crossover is planned and I think it is to be concrete the whole way down. It was voted the worst drag strip in America a few years ago and it looks to rival Norwalk when completed.


http://www.dragway42.com/

http://www.dragway42.com/what-you-have- ... -drawings/

Re: Your first drag strip?

Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:29 pm
by Zappy
My first pass would have been DETROIT DRAGWAY. Full tree (5 amber) full 1/4 mile. No walls, no guardrails, Asphalt then grass.
Went from slowest, to one of the quickest from one season to the next. Ran either 22's'or 23's in a VW BUS. yes a bus. 4-speed.
Next season showed up with a slingshot and ran 10:99 @ 126mph. 2-speed stick (yes a clutch)

Re: Your first drag strip?

Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 9:13 am
by draglist
That's great to hear about 42, Wheelz. I always loved going there. It had more of a 'big strip' feel than Thompson did in the 70s. Great to see the old place being resurrected.

Zappy, would love to hear more about your early racing days! That would actually be a fun thread. Drag strip memories by the Super Crew... things that happened when we were actually racing. bp

Re: Your first drag strip?

Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 2:27 pm
by Wheelzman
I would like to hear about Zappy's past drag racing too. I didn't know he was a digger
driver? Start a thread Zappy and we will all chime in. :D

Re: Your first drag strip?

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 12:41 am
by Zappy
Well ok, sounds like a fun thread. i'll start it off under "Super Crew".

Re: Your first drag strip?

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:43 am
by Zappy
I would like to hear about Zappy's past drag racing too. I didn't know he was a digger
driver? Start a thread Zappy and we will all chime in. :D

Oh yes Wheelz, I'm a dragster lover from way back. Front motor, rear motor, I love 'em all. I had my dream come true when I was able to
own and drive one for a season. I was BIG DADDY !!! (I thought) had to get a NHRA Competition License an all.

But the dragster is a whole other story.

Re: Your first drag strip?

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:31 pm
by Jack Redd
My first trip (attending only) was at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia.
It was the first drag strip on the East Coast built in 1953 and was a dirt track.
Racers used (then) mud & snow tires for traction. It was built by Mr. Al Gore (of Va.,
& now is 95). It was paved in1954 and is now gone. I had a foolish experience racing there
once. A friend asked the drive his '57 T-Bird, put it in the wrong gear (by mistake) and lost.
My next track was Aquasco Speedway in Southern Maryland. I raced on Sunday May19th
1957 and was in the U.S. Army on Monday. However, gone two months I was station back
in Arlington, Virginia. I was a starter there and later an announcer and racer. In 1963, I
won the AHRA Summernationals and was third in the '63 AHRA National Points Championship.
It was a '57 Ford running E/SA.
Don Elliott, who was an AHRA photographer and raced was 1st, Charlie Therwanger 2nd, me 3rd,
Dickie Harrell 4th (yes, the Dickie Harrell) and David Yocum who also worked at Aquasco was 5th.
And, I didn't not know it until I read about it in the November magazine issue of Modern Rod.
Great AHRA Press back then huh(?)! No money and no trophy.
Later drove B/D, C/A & pick-ups. No wins, just fun.
Now how about "Winning Your First Trophy". Mine is a funny story, went on too win many more.